TG Branfalt

The Hawaii Senate has rejected a cannabis decriminalization proposal over concerns that the reforms would lead to a stronger illicit market in the state.

Maine lawmakers have passed two bills expanding criminal record sealing opportunities in the state, including one that allows for the sealing of cannabis crimes now legal under the state’s adult-use cannabis reforms.

The Louisiana House and Senate have passed competing bills to either regulate or ban, respectively, hemp-derived THC consumables in the state.

Most Americans no longer believe that cannabis use carries a stigma, and 72% said that cannabis is only going to get more popular, according to a recent survey.

Japan’s hemp cannabinoid market expanded sixfold to ¥24 billion ($154 million) over the last five years as the country’s demand for CBD products steadily climbed.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey awarded grants totaling $2,350,000 to 50 cannabis social equity businesses in the state through the state’s Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund.

Cannabis advocates in North Dakota submitted a petition to put an adult-use cannabis question before voters this November; the campaign needs to collect 16,000 valid signatures by July 8 to qualify.

Kentucky hemp and vape companies have filed a lawsuit against a new state law that limits the sale of vape products to only those approved by the FDA or those with a “safe harbor certification.”

New York cannabis regulators have issued more than 400 adult-use licenses this year in an effort to counteract the state’s rampant unlicensed sales amid the slow roll-out of its cannabis program.

European law enforcement officials say they coordinated the takedown of a cannabis investment Ponzi scheme affecting at least 186,000 victims last week with a law enforcement action that included more than 400 officers in 11 countries.

The S2 Mulholland electric motorcycle by LiveWire demonstrates the engineering and mechanical possibilities of industrial hemp with front and rear fenders made from hemp bio-composites, among other sustainably produced components.

A recent study found that some 60% of Utah’s registered medical cannabis patients still obtain products from unregulated sources despite the existence of state-licensed retailers.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill to protect state employees including firefighters, emergency service providers, teachers, and civil servants from medical cannabis-related discrimination.

Colorado-based Sun Theory Holding Co. announced it has acquired Terrapin Care Station, which operates five retail cannabis dispensaries in the state.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Records indicated that the state will be ready to expunge more than 60,000 misdemeanor cannabis convictions in May under last year’s adult-use legalization law.

A California man who was once convicted and imprisoned for multiple scams dating back to 1988 recently pleaded guilty to hemp industry fraud costing investors more than $18 million.

Pennsylvania could generate more than $1 billion in new taxes over five years if the state were to legalize adult-use cannabis sales, according to an official report.

Hawaii lawmakers in the House Finance Committee rejected the state’s Senate-approved adult-use cannabis legalization proposal, killing the bill for the year.

Alabama lawmakers could increase the number of medical cannabis licenses in the state under a new bill seeking to end the legal disputes that have plagued the licensing process since the first licenses were awarded last June.

The Iowa Senate this week sent a bill to the governor that would limit hemp-derived THC products to individuals aged 21+, and sent another bill to the House that would double the number of medical cannabis dispensaries in the state from 5 to 10.

In a recent letter, 22 attorneys general called on members of Congress to tighten federal rules on hemp-derived cannabinoid products, arguing that the 2018 federal Farm Bill “unleashed… a flood of products that are nothing less than a more potent form of cannabis.”

Delaware lawmakers have approved a bill allowing healthcare providers to certify any patients for the medical cannabis program; the provisions also allow individuals aged 65+ to self-certify for the program.